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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29460561">Taurus Traveling Circus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacelupins/pseuds/spacelupins'>spacelupins</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adam and Will are brothers, Aerial silk performer! Adam, Alternate Universe - 1930s, Alternate Universe - Circus, Animal Keeper! Adam, Big Brother Will, Lion Tamer! Nigel, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Spacedogs, Trapeze Artist! Will</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:02:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,866</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29460561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacelupins/pseuds/spacelupins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nigel was down to his last twenty dollar bill. Since coming to the states, the economy had plummeted and his distinctly Eastern European accent made it almost impossible to find a job. </p><p>As his last resort, he joins the Taurus Traveling Circus as his ticket to the west. He expected to spend the next months bullshitting his way through animal training, instead a pair of pretty blue eyes turn his world upside down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nigel (Charlie Countryman)/Adam Raki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Taurus Traveling Circus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We don’t need a lion tamer, that lion’s got one foot in the grave.”</p><p>The ringmaster told him. “All that old lion is good for now is glamour shots. Ain’t no need for a lion tamer without a lion.”</p><p>Nigel was on his last 20 dollars since he came to the states, he’d jumped around from job to job before finally deciding to say fuck it and join a circus. It was his last shot. The economy plummet that came the moment he stepped on American soil, and his distinctly Eastern European accent were taking away any chance any decent living with the nationalist businesses of the south. He would go west if he could, try and work the streets the same way his uncle did back home but he couldn’t afford a train ticket for that journey. Taurus Traveling Circus. As if by fate a newspaper with the announcement of the traveling circus’ route heading west landed at his feet after he’d been kicked out from the shitty hotel he’d been staying at.</p><p>“You have a dying lion act, and I’ve got a tigress just months old ready for training.” He lied, but it didn’t worry him. He’d seen how some of the staff doors at the Louisville Zoo didn’t have locks last time he’d passed in a brief cleaning job he’d gotten. A tigress had given birth the day he’d been there, it would be easy to go back and grab one of the kits. The ringmaster looked up at him, intrigued.<br/>
<br/>
“A tigress?”</p><p>“Yes, just a babe but she’s a beauty. She’ll make for a profitable attraction, you can find bearded women in every other retirement asylum but it’s not everyday someone sees a tiger. Especially in these times, people aren’t going to throw their precious money at just anything.”<br/>
<br/>
The ringmaster fidgeted with his pen, considering the offer. “Can you train elephants?”<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck yes, I can.” He lied but then again, how hard could it be?</p><p> </p><p>Adam was the first person he formally met after the ringmaster, he’d heard his name be passed around in conversations hed overheard from the other performers and he’d picked up a bit of information. He was the ringmasters son, he was trained in aerial silk and trapeze, and that he was quite odd.</p><p>He’d bumped into him in the large tent containing the circus animals, which only consisted of a couple macaws, two female elephants, and the old lion. He carried his new pet tigress as he looked around, when she suddenly clawed and bit his arm for no reason causing him to jump back and bump into the young man leaning against the elephant enclosure.</p><p>“Fuck! Get her off! Get her off!” He yelled flailing his arm in attempt to shake her off. The boy reached for the kitten, wrapping its arms around its middle, Nigel pulled back only for her to clamp her jaws tighter.<br/>
<br/>
“Stop pulling, you need to push into the bite.” The other said.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you fucking crazy? I want her to let go-“</p><p>“She’ll let go; push back and she’ll let go.”</p><p>Nigel grit his teeth and pushed into the bite, expecting the tigress to bite down harder. He felt her claws loosen her grip on his arm first, the boy motioned to kneel down on the floor and Nigel did the same, still pushing into the kittens mouth. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the tigress released his arm and plopped down on the floor to play with the hay pile. The boy picked her up then placed her in an empty enclosure with water and a bowl of what looked like to be chicken breasts.<br/>
<br/>
“By pulling away, you were giving off the impression that you were playing.” He said. Nigel scoffed.<br/>
<br/>
“How the fuck is yelling and flailing sign of play time?”<br/>
<br/>
“In cat behavior, it’s a very clear sign of it. You should really clean that wound. There’s rubbing alcohol in a chest next to the elephant enclosure, use it sparingly.” Nigel looked down at his ragged arm that was covered in deep bite wounds.<br/>
<br/>
“Mind giving me a hand?” He asked, Adam cocked his head to the side with a confused look.<br/>
<br/>
“Could you help me clean the wound?” He rephrased.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh! Yes, sure. But you’ll have to wait after I finish grooming Juniper.” Adam replied, grabbing a large, densely bristled brush.</p><p>“Juniper?”</p><p>“The lion.” Adam explained.</p><p>“Fine by me. I’ll join you, I want to see the lion I’ll be working with.” Nigel followed behind Adam around the large tent, the five foot distance between them giving him a wonderful view of Adam’s figure as he walked. Adam had on a simple white knitted sweatshirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows and brown slacks that did wonders for Nigels imagination.</p><p>They stopped at a large cage where Nigel presumed the lion was kept. Adam opened the lock on the cage and the lion slowly crawled out, stretched its back legs then dropped down to lay on his stomach.</p><p>“Lazy thing, isn’t he?” Nigel joked but Adam didn’t laugh.</p><p>“He’s old, for a lion anyway. But I guess he has been a bit coddled in that cage, there’s not much room to roam.” Adam sat cross legged and pulled a paw from under the lion. Nigel watched the boy hold the lion’s large paw like it was that of a harmless house-cat. The lion lazily laid itself on its side to let Adam continue brushing him.<br/>
<br/>
“He likes you.” Nigel sat besides Adam and laid his head back on the belly of the lion.<br/>
<br/>
“He has no one else.” Adam replied, not meeting his gaze. Nigel had been informed by many of the other performers that Adam was peculiar, avoiding eye contact seemed to be one of his peculiarities.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah well, now he does. Medusa there is gonna be your fat lions new friend.” He pointed at the sleeping tigress kitten in the corner.<br/>
<br/>
“I hope they are.”<br/>
<br/>
“Huh?”<br/>
<br/>
“Friends. I hope they become friends. Lions and tigers don’t really interact in the wild but I hope Juniper accepts her, he’s been alone for long. We had a lioness but she died almost a decade ago, I’m guessing she was a far better companion than I am to him.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m sure he loves you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe. But he’s subpar company, he’s not much of a conversationalist to be honest.” </p><p>“Yeah, I’d expect him not to be.” Nigel laughed and for a second he saw Adam smile.<br/>
<br/>
“You got it.”<br/>
<br/>
“I beg your pardon?” </p><p>”You got the joke.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well yes, only an idiot wouldn’t.” Adam’s brows furrowed, clearly thinking hard about his response for a second.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, then I guess there are a lot of idiots here.” Nigel threw his head back and laughed, no truer words had been said. Adam finished brushing off Junipers tails with a beaming smile, Nigel really liked that smile.<br/>
<br/>
“There.” Adam patted Junipers back three times. Nigel guessed the lion must’ve been somewhat trained previously since it stood immediately and go back to his cage.<br/>
<br/>
“Alright, let’s tend to the bite. You didn’t get the rubbing alcohol?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll go. You said the chest was next to the elephant enclosure, right?” Adam nodded and Nigel walked away. He was handsome, Adam noticed; rugged yet elegant in form. He didn’t voice his opinion on the man, but still continued to admire out of sight.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Be careful who you call pretty. With women it’s okay but not to men, okay?” </em><br/>
<br/>
<em>“Why? Dad said it was okay.” </em><br/>
<br/>
<em>“No, Adam, listen to me. What Dad meant was that it was okay for you to think men are pretty-“</em></p><p>
  <em>“Why wouldn’t he think it was okay?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Because...because...” Will sighed, patting the spot next to him for Adam to sit. Adam climbed onto the bed and sat crossed legged next to his brother. “Because a lot of people are, for whatever reason, sensitive to same sex relationships. They don’t understand so instead of trying to understand they decide to shame. Do you get what I mean?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Adam nodded. “But if that’s true, then why is Dad okay with it?” Will wrapped an arm around his shoulder and his head atop of his. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Because Dad loves you. He loves you and me so he decided to understand. Man or woman, we don’t care who you love because we love you.” </em>
</p><p>“I got some gauze too, hope you don’t mind.” Nigel tossed the gauze and alcohol bottle to Adam who was still sitting on the floor. Adam caught the put the peroxide next to him and kept the gauze on his lap.</p><p><br/>
“Sit down. Give me your arm.” Nigel’s brows raised as he sat.</p><p>“Bossy little thing, aren’t you?” He stool his hand out towards Adam.<br/>
<br/>
“I guess. Now I’m going to pour the alcohol at the count of three okay?” Nigel didn’t answer, instead he focuses of the gentle hands that held his arm. The touch, though clinical, was nice. He hadn’t felt another persons hand on him since the last time he was able to afford a whore, which had been a far while now. Adam’s brows furrowed as he concentrated, it made his nose wrinkle in a way that reminded Nigel of bunnies. “One... two... three” Adam poured the alcohol on Nigel’s arm, the sudden burn effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.<br/>
<br/>
“Fuck!” He clenched his fist as the burning sensation continued. Adam pulled his arm closer, resting it on his lap and began wrapping the gauze around the bite. Nigel’s degenerate mind went to fantasize about how Adam would make one sexy nurse. Nimble fingers and a pretty face, what more was needed to become a nurse?<br/>
<br/>
“There.” Adam ripped off what was left of the gauze and tied a knot so it wouldn’t unravel from Nigel’s arm.<br/>
<br/>
“Good as new.” Nigel moved the arm out and inwards, testing its dexterity.</p><p>“Hardly so.” Adam replied, closing the running alcohol bottle. Nigel chuckled.</p><p>“<span class="s1">Well, it’s good enough then. Thank you, gorgeous.” </span><span class="s2">Fuck. </span><span class="s1">Old habits die hard, and Nigel was a chronic flirt. He waited for Adam to push him away and tell him to fuck off but it never came.</span></p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Adam smiled, sweet and bright. His cheeks and ears turned a beautiful shade of pink. “You’re welcome.” He said, Nigel felt a wave of relief take over him. “Now, follow me. You’ll be staying in the animal keepers compartment with me. It’s not a big space but it’s nice and tidy.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If I’m bunking with you, I’m sure I’ll love it. Lead the way, darling.” He tested his boundaries again. Adam didn’t respond, he smiled again and led him out of the animal keeping tent. Nigel really loved that fucking smile.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once could’ve been an accident, but twice couldn’t. Nigel called him names, not rude ones like but sweet, affectionate ones. Adam felt giddy but didn’t say anything about it yet, he had to make sure Nigel was actually flirting first. He would speak to Will about it tomorrow and get his opinion. “We’re staying in the red compartment. There’s already an extra bed in there so you can sleep there.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi everyone! this is something I’ve been working on for a hell of a while but I never got around to posting because the middle is taking me a bitching long time to complete. Finally said fuck it I’ll put it up in parts instead of all at once. Hope you all like it, if you do pls leave a comment they are my life blood and keep me writing &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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